Penguins’ Surprise Start Powered by Hot Goaltending, Veteran Stars and Special Teams

Injuries alongside uneven defending make sustainability the key question for the surprise start.

Overview

Pittsburgh is 9-5-3 through 17 games, sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference after modest preseason expectations.
A rotating goalie group of Tristan Jarry, Arturs Silovs and rookie Sergei Murashov has produced a .911 team save percentage, second in the NHL.
Special teams have surged, with the power play at 42.9% since Oct. 21 and the penalty kill up to 87.5% under new coach Dan Muse.
The lineup is thinned by injuries to Rickard Rakell, Justin Brazeau, Tristan Jarry, Joel Blomqvist, Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones and Noel Acciari, prompting call-ups such as Sergei Murashov and Ville Koivunen.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin remain among the league’s top scorers as the blue line delivers mixed results, with Erik Karlsson steady, Kris Letang struggling and rookies Harrison Brunicke and Owen Pickering facing growing pains.